About CIJ
Building capabilities. Creating opportunities. Advancing innovation.
CIJ Digital Hub is a youth-led entrepreneurship support organisation, skills, technology and innovation hub in Sierra Leone. We create practical pathways for young people, entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs, schools, institutions and communities to access skills, technology, enterprise support, networks and opportunities.
Who we are
A connected ecosystem for people, enterprise and innovation.
CIJ works at the intersection of skills development, entrepreneurship, emerging technology, enterprise development, digital transformation and community innovation.
Our role goes beyond training. We build pathways that help people develop practical capabilities, entrepreneurs build stronger enterprises, organisations adopt technology, schools strengthen digital learning, and communities gain access to opportunity. Our ambition is an ecosystem where people can learn, connect, build, grow, innovate and scale.
Who we serve
Youth & students
Entrepreneurs & founders
Startups & SMEs
Women & girls
Schools & educators
NGOs & development partners
Public & private institutions
Communities
Our story
From skills development to an innovation ecosystem.
Skills → Entrepreneurship → Technology → Innovation → Enterprise → Opportunity → Impact
CIJ began with a commitment to improve access to digital skills, technology and practical opportunities for young people and communities in Freetown.
Working directly with learners, entrepreneurs and businesses, we saw that skills alone were not enough. Young people needed mentorship, practical experience and pathways into work or enterprise. Entrepreneurs needed business support, technology, networks and market access. SMEs needed digitalisation and visibility. Schools needed digital capacity.
That experience shaped CIJ Digital Hub into what it is today: a broader entrepreneurship, skills, technology and innovation ecosystem — rooted in Sierra Leone, and built to create measurable, sustainable impact.
Purpose
Why we exist
Talent, ambition and ideas exist everywhere, but access to the right skills, technology, networks and opportunities remains unequal. CIJ exists to help close that gap.
Mission
What we do
To empower people and enterprises through practical skills, entrepreneurship, technology, innovation and access to opportunities that contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic and social development.
Vision
Where we are going
A connected and inclusive African entrepreneurship, skills, technology and innovation ecosystem where people and enterprises can develop capabilities, create solutions, grow and contribute to sustainable development.
Our approach
From access to impact.
Meaningful development takes more than a single course. People and enterprises need different kinds of support at different stages — so our work follows one connected pathway.
01 · Access
Open the door
Expand access to skills, technology, knowledge, resources, networks and opportunities.
02 · Support
Practical help
Training, mentorship, technical assistance, enterprise development and digital solutions.
03 · Grow
Get stronger
Strengthen capabilities, enterprises, products, teams, systems and market readiness.
04 · Innovate
Try new things
Experiment, develop ideas, explore emerging technologies and solve practical challenges.
05 · Scale
Reach further
Connect promising people, businesses and solutions with markets, partnerships and expansion.
06 · Impact
Create value
Turn stronger capabilities, enterprises and innovations into measurable economic and social value.
The CIJ ecosystem
One ecosystem. Multiple pathways. Shared impact.
Six connected parts, one journey — so a learner can become a founder, a founder can access technology, and an SME can reach new markets without leaving the ecosystem.
CIJ Skills Academy
Practical digital, technical, entrepreneurial, creative and professional capabilities.
CIJ Entrepreneurship Hub
Entrepreneurship development, incubation, mentorship, advisory and growth support for founders and enterprises.
CIJ Innovation Lab
Emerging technology, experimentation, prototyping, innovation challenges and practical problem-solving.
CIJ Digital Solutions
Technology, data, digital transformation and creative solutions for businesses, institutions and organisations.
Africa BrandNest Hub
Branding, digitalisation, marketing, e-commerce, business development and market readiness for SMEs.
CIJ Digital Hub Foundation
Expanding access to digital skills, STEM, entrepreneurship, technology and community-based opportunities.
Our values
The principles that guide our work.
Innovation
Creativity, experimentation and practical solutions to real challenges.
Integrity
Honesty, transparency, accountability and responsible action.
Excellence
Quality and continuous improvement across everything we do.
Inclusion
Expanding access and participation, especially for underserved groups.
Collaboration
Stronger outcomes through meaningful partnerships.
Empowerment
Capabilities, confidence and pathways to create opportunity.
Sustainability
Solutions and partnerships capable of creating lasting value.
Locally rooted
Responding to real challenges in Sierra Leonean communities and enterprises.
Leadership
People driving the mission.
Chernor I. Jalloh
Founder & Chief Innovation Officer
Chernor provides strategic leadership across CIJ Digital Hub’s entrepreneurship, technology, innovation, partnerships and ecosystem development. His focus is building practical pathways that connect digital capabilities, enterprise development and emerging technology with opportunities for young people, businesses and communities.
Our team brings together people working across:
Operations
Programs
Technology
Innovation
Entrepreneurship
SME development
Creative & media
Community engagement
Where we work
Rooted in Sierra Leone. Building for wider impact.
CIJ Digital Hub is based in Eastern Freetown, Sierra Leone — a solar-powered learning and innovation space — while developing partnerships and delivery models that extend access to other communities and districts.
Partnerships
Impact through partnership.
We work with development partners, government, foundations, technology companies, educational institutions, the private sector, civil society and communities — on skills, entrepreneurship, SME growth, digital education, technology, research, climate innovation and community development.
Let’s build what comes next.
Whether you want to develop skills, build an enterprise, access technology, explore innovation or collaborate on an initiative, there is a pathway for you at CIJ.